An Israeli newspaper said today, Thursday, that the Israeli army is preparing for a massive operation against the Gaza Strip after the elections scheduled for next March.
"Because of the election campaign, a major military operation in the Gaza Strip has been prevented, and in Israel they bite on the lips until at least 3 March," the newspaper "Israel Today", which is close to the outgoing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, added.
She continued: "According to all recent estimates, the major military action in Gaza is closer than ever, Israel still hopes that Hamas will control its weapons, stop firing rockets and launching incendiary balloons, but the opportunities seem to be diminishing."
In recent weeks, the border between Gaza and Israel has witnessed remarkable tension, but not at a pace that leads to military escalation, despite Israeli calls to respond vigorously to the firing of ballistic missiles and incendiary balloons.
The Israeli newspaper quoted an Israeli military official, who was not named, as saying: "The Israeli army could have escalated the situation easily, and this would have led to the same military operation that the Prime Minister spoke of recently," referring to Netanyahu's statement that Hamas should Preparing to surprise her life.
"But because of the election campaign and the assessment that the broad military campaign will disrupt the electoral process, and may lead to the postponement of the elections, the army at this stage prefers proportionate responses and avoids measures that may delay the vote," the Israeli military official added.
The newspaper pointed out that a broad military operation might serve Netanyahu and Defense Minister Naftali Bennett.
The Israeli elections scheduled for next March will be the third in less than a year, after elections in April and another in September.